


after the storm / LIS

by anothergirlinlove (ObsessedWithBands)



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Canon - Video Game, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, French Kissing, Friendship/Love, Making Out, Neck Kissing, Partying, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Teasing, Wall Sex, daniel is 16, everyone from LiS 1 including sean is 23
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-02-27 13:05:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsessedWithBands/pseuds/anothergirlinlove
Summary: sean brings his girlfriend to a party to meet all his friends from arcadia bay.or...in which ella discovers more about sean based off of the people he grew up with.





	after the storm / LIS

told from the pov of my OC, ella renata. she's a student from a whole other state, and her and sean have been online dating for a long time until they were able to meet, and then ella recently moved in with him (let's say, just a few weeks ago).

\------------------------------

the feeling of wrapping my arms around his neck centers me. the sound of his voice helps me to focus. his touch makes me realize how fortunate i am to be his girlfriend. and i've always loved being in love with sean diaz.

having an online relationship was hard, i tell you. sean kept facetiming me every night, and even though i loved being able to see his face everyday, i still loved it even more when i could see him in person, of course. and when i found my second home, with him here in his arms...everything became familiar again. but then he said something new.

"i want you to meet my friends," he had whispered into my hair, and i had moved away to make eye contact with him. as i spoke, sean reached up to me and brushed my hair out of my eyes.

"the friends you've always told me about, ever we started officially dating?" i asked, my right hand resting on the nape of his neck and my fingers playing with his soft brown hair. i couldn't stop touching him. _he's here. he's standing right in front of me, he's here for me to hold._ sean laughed lightly, his eyes trained on mine. i could tell he couldn't stop looking at me too, what with his hands going from my hair to my shoulders to my waist. the realization that we were both together again...we were both still trying to process it in our minds at the time.

"yeah...it's been a hot minute since we've all been able to meet up, ella, it's crazy. and now you can _finally_ meet them." sean spoke every word as if he's been waiting to say them to me for such a long time. as he said my name, his smile grew bigger. i had no choice but to press my lips to his, our smiles in contact with each other's. he easily slid his arms around my waist and pulled me close once again. i felt him walk backwards into his room while carrying my weight, and then i heard him close the door behind us.

"like, will this be coachella crazy, or just taco bell happy hour crazy?" i joked, kissing him on the cheek before i broke away from his embrace. i sat down on the floor near his computer desk, taking the ponytail off my wrist and fiddling with it. he laid down next to me and placed his head in my lap before he answered.

"whoa, no way, ha ha. just taco bell happy hour crazy."

"are they all from different parts of the world?"

"well...actually, babe, they're all from here. this small state of oregon has been my whole life, and apparently, it's also the people i'll go through my college life with. aside from you."

"ah." i said, watching him talk without looking away. and i couldn't. _you never know how much you truly love a person until you realize how much time you've been away from them._

"so...when'll i meet them?" i continued. sean slowly sat up, his shoulder brushing against mine. naturally, i leaned towards him, and our lips met for another long kiss. i brushed his hair back with my fingers and tilted my head, getting as close to him as i possibly could. _i didn't even let him answer...but i couldn't wait._ when he finally did...he told me that 'there's going to be a party tomorrow.'

and that led us to tonight.

\--

i woke up this morning feeling the happiest i've ever been in a _while_. like, the past few months have just been classwork, homework, job, school, repeat. and now i get to have the experience of waking up next to the love of my life...well, that makes my whole day. especially on the days when sean makes blueberry waffles for breakfast and shows me more dishes that he's learning to cook.

after a day full of walking around the area with sean and going out to eat, he brought me back to the room to get ready for the party where i'll meet all his friends. it was a good thing that i had an outfit for every occasion, but the hard part was always having to tell sean that he wasn't allowed to take it off of me until we got back to his room. he's definitely hard to resist.

a small smirk creeped onto my face while i pulled on my ripped jeans and black crop top in the bathroom, my thoughts taking over for a moment. i had to admit, as soon as i see him when i walk out...he'll definitely make me give into my feelings and then we'll end up in the bed sooner than later. but, like i said...i have to tell him to wait. as if i could wait myself.

"there's my hot fucking girlfriend," sean said as soon as i stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes scanning me. i saw him sitting on the couch with the tv remote in hand, but i was glad that i got his attention.

"there's my cute ass boyfriend." i replied, walking over to him and pulling him to stand. we shared a kiss, _probably_ our hundredth since yesterday. sean was wearing a gray button up collared shirt with his dark jeans, and even though he believed it was a really simple look, i thought it was one of the hottest things i've seen in so long. because that's the truth. and...i knew that i'd be the one to unbutton his shirt later tonight.

sean didn't take long to sweep me out the door and start walking with me to the room where his friend rachel was hosting the party. i kept her name in mind, seeing how hers was the first of his many friends he's told me about. i didn't want to make a fool of myself when i've just met his friends. that'd probably take all my confidence away, to be honest.

we stopped outside the closed door of the room, and from the entrance, it seemed like a really small room to have a party in. but then sean knocked and the door flew open a split second later.

"sean's here! oh wait, the famous ella is here too!" the girl in front of us exclaimed. i looked her over for a split second, my main takeaways being her pixie cut blonde hair and the pearl necklace around her neck. the girl beamed at me, but at the same time i felt as if smiling wasn't always her immediate reaction for strangers. _maybe it was how defined her eyebrows were? or maybe her naturally pursed lips._

"i'm victoria, it is _so_ nice to finally meet you!" she said, leaning forward and hugging me tightly. i glanced at sean and saw a shocked expression on his face, and that led me to thinking that i was probably right about the smiling. victoria grasped my shoulders and held me away from her, and she did a thorough scan of my face and my outfit. i felt a little intimidated under her gaze, but then she went back to making eye contact with me.

"nice to meet you, victoria-"

"actually scratch that, you can just call me vic. everyone in _here_ does it, so it'd be cool that you'd do it too."

"oh, okay, vic," i said, trying out the nickname of the person i'd _only_ just met. i looked at sean, and he shrugged. vic gave sean a hug next, and sean gave her a small laugh in reply.

"vic, you're not usually this peppy or excited about a new person," he stated, brushing his fingers through his hair. victoria shrugged, placing a hand on her hip. i watched the two move and speak as if they were in a movie. they did seem very animated when they were together, like they were video game characters or something. it was a bit creepy.

"eh, i mean...why be 'pissed' vic when i could be 'partying-is-better-than-studying-crap-for-hours' vic?" she laughed, shrugging one of her shoulders in a sassy yet cool way. she looked at me again, then raised up a beckoning hand.

"so, let's go in." she said. but as soon as my foot crossed the threshold, and all of a sudden i saw a flash of blue pass in front of me.

"chloe, i know you want to meet her, but that doesn't mean you could run into her as a greeting," sean said. a new girl was standing in front of us, and i immediately noticed her blue hair and her tattooed arms. she was standing next to another girl with long dirty blonde hair, and the blue-haired girl was holding the blonde girl's arm as if she was about to pull her away.

"pssh--i didn't run _into_ her, you're so fucking protective! i was just trying to get rachel back because she was running away from me in the first place." chloe, the blue-haired girl, laughed. like, _really_ laughed...the laugh where you'd throw your head back and your eyes were tightly closed. she was so happy, my smile grew bigger just looking at her. the girl next to her kissed her on the cheek before speaking.

"oh ella, i'm so glad we could finally meet," she said. she gave me my second hug that evening, and i could smell the faint scent of cigarettes on her clothes. she moved away and i could see her clearly. her hair was tucked behind her left ear, and falling perfectly behind her neck like an elegant waterfall. but the impression her hair gave me didn't match her outfit.

she had on a really edgy fashion sense, complete with a blue and black plaid flannel, black tanktop and black ripped jeans. her face told me 'beautiful and non-problematic girl', but her clothes told me 'i'd jump on a train to anywhere'. and i could tell she attempted to balance the two vibes by wearing edgy makeup. as a matter of fact, that's actually what made everything fit perfectly together. she was...magical.

"this is the famous rachel and chloe...rachel the blonde and chloe the blue. they've been dating since the dawn of time." sean said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. i nodded, recalling the time when he first told me about them. sean had told me that they've been through a lot, and in the end they fell in love. clearly, they were happy together...and seeing homosexual couples who felt free to express their love in front of others always made me happy too.

"i just have _one_ question for you, ella, before i get me and rachel another drink..." chloe spoke up, grabbing rachel's hand and swinging it back and forth between them. before she continued, rachel playfully hit chloe on the shoulder. clearly, they were already a little tipsy, too. i nodded.

"has sean told you about how he got his tattoo?" chloe had a smirk on her face. i nodded again, laughing and turning towards sean. he shook his head and sighed, his eyes closed.

"yes, chloe, i have told her about that--"

"well, what can i say? that's my favorite story of yours. that was hella badass of you and i respect that. that should be a story shared around the world..." chloe's voice trailed off, her hand moving from left to right in front of her for emphasis as she said 'around the world'. i laughed again. that really was a badass experience of his, if i do say so myself. i wouldn't have the balls to go through all that pain just for the fun of it, nevertheless get an actual tattoo.

after chloe was carted off by rachel, who was muttering something about already having 'one too many', i linked arms with sean and let my mind return to our surroundings. the bass sound of the music playing echoed through my ears, and i had to speak louder in order to hear myself. everyone in the room was dancing, sean and i were trying to make our way towards the drink table...it was chaos.

but the fact that sean was there with me, and i was going to meet his friends--who were another part of him--made me feel more centered. and it wasn't everyday that i could just have time to go out with him and socialize...college life was exciting but of course, tedious.

"yo, sean!" a girl yelled. our heads turned towards the sound, and a girl ran up to sean and threw her arms around him--nearly knocking into me as she did so. i could hear sean's muffled laughter as the girl moved her arms into a chokehold around his neck, and then i saw her playful and excited expression. _that's definitely lyla_. lyla, the girl that sean said was his childhood best friend. the girl i always had a bit of jealousy towards...since i always heard so many good things about her. _including_ the fact that sean and lyla had gotten drunk and high together. that said a lot about how close they were.

"lyla! you're here too?" sean said as soon as he tapped lyla's arm twice so she'd let him go. lyla punched his shoulder repeatedly when she spoke next.

"of course! i wouldn't miss out on a time when i could get laid." i raised my eyebrows. _well shit, this girl was really open about everything. oh my god._

"and _especially_ when i could meet your girlfriend, after all this time!" lyla turned towards me and looked me up and down. "you're right sean...she is hella hot. i bet you guys have gotten to third base several times. and fourth. maybe fifth." she added a little snicker. sean punched her in the shoulder this time. i gave an awkward laugh. she put her hand out and i shook it.

"hey i'm lyla, nice to meet ya."

"i'm ella...as you may know. are you guys always like this when you're with each other?"

"well what can i say? i've known this dick since birth, he's like a brother to me. i know everything about him, he knows everything about me...and i even know about his little, um, experience in a tent--" before she could finish, sean pushed her aside and then stood in her place.

" _yeah_ , um, we're not talking about that right now--what the _fuck_ , lyla?" sean seemed flustered. i didn't know what they were talking about, but judging by sean's response, i don't think i should.

lyla proceeded to take my arm and drag me towards the drink table, where other people were hanging out. sean followed and took my hand, whispering to me that lyla was crazy and i should never listen to her. i responded by laughing and giving him a kiss on the cheek to let him know that i wouldn't, for his sake. for whatever reason.

lyla grabbed a huge margarita off the table, saying that 'it was probably the best drink for me since i liked mexicans'...and earned herself another punch in the shoulder. she laughed and then left a smirk on her face as she poured the margarita into a red cup and then handed it to me. i immediately took a few sips and felt the alcohol burn my throat a little. lyla watched me as i did, and once i was finished, she spoke.

"wow, she really has no negative response to drinking alcohol hella fast...i like her." i smiled at her.

"sorry lyla. even though you _do_ like girls...this one's already mine." sean wrapped his arm around my waist, and i nodded, leaning into his side a little. all of a sudden, a loud crashing sound made me flinch. sean's arm immediately grew tense around my waist. i followed the sound with my eyes, and then i heard a loud and long groan come from sean.

"not _again_."

before i could ask why he groaned, sean let go of me and i had to watch him as he walked away. through the group of people standing around the table, sean weaved his way in between them and then stopped in front of a slightly shorter guy who looked suspiciously like--

" _daniel_? daniel!" i exclaimed, and he turned towards me.

" _mi hermana_!" daniel said, a bright smile appearing on his face. he raised his hand and waved, and i did the same. then he looked at sean, who was picking up something off the floor. i squinted my eyes a bit to see what he picked up, and then i saw the bottle of wine. at least, half of it.

"what happened this time? you were concentrating, right?" sean asked daniel, and daniel laughed. i walked around the table and up to them, and daniel gave me a side hug before replying to his brother.

"i _was_ concentrating, i was focused on taking out the cork, but then i saw those girls over there, and you know i've been looking for a girlfriend," daniel rushed, occasional giggles stopping him from speaking straight. i laughed and ruffled his hair, following his pointing finger with my eyes and noticing a couple of girls dancing provocatively a little ways away from us. it was common for a teenage boy to be attracted to those type of things...but it wasn't common to see a teenage boy crashing a college party. even if it was a party including his brother and his friends.

"okay, okay, whatever...but that doesn't explain why you're here, _enano_. and you're at a college party." sean reasoned, placing hands on daniel's shoulders. daniel shook him off and crossed his arms, but i could tell by his smile that he was still giddy.

"even though i'm growing up, and even after what we've gone through...he'll always act like the protective head wolf of his pack, _and_ call me _enano_." daniel said to me, shaking his head ever so slightly at his older brother. i smiled softly, and i saw sean's shoulders relax a bit as daniel talked. he was right. when the two brothers had told me everything that they've gone through, when we had that long, serious conversation, i understood more about sean and daniel and how they learned about the reality of the world. and i especially understood why sean was always protective towards daniel, no matter what age and no matter what he told him.

tell you what...knowing that sean had a calm and happy side and a protective and cautious side just made me love him even more.

"tell me why you're here...and _maybe_ i'll let you go off easy." sean pressed. daniel sighed.

"i just heard from lyla that ella and you were going to a party, then i said what party, then she said oh there's a party that her and your other _amigos_ were all going to, and then once our grandparents were asleep and i knew for sure that they were both snoring, i got out of the house and came here." he explained. after a few eye rolls and a few more heavy sighs, sean patted his brother's head.

"...well...i'm just glad you brought your cellphone, for crying out loud. if grandma or grandpa gives you a hard time for sneaking out, just call me, i'll clear it up. but really, don't do this _too_ many times, okay? it takes one mistake to ruin a whole evening. i already let you drink alcohol without question, because i did the same thing when i was your age, just don't be stupid about it." sean explained. and i could tell this wasn't the first time he's told daniel the same words because daniel kept on rolling his eyes and nodding.

"let's just get back to the drinks, shall we?" daniel laughed, raising the bottle out of sean's hands with his telekinesis and then dropping it into a recycle bin against the nearby wall. it was still weird to see in person, seeing how the conversations i had that included daniel was always via skype. i've only seen him pick up minor, everyday household things, but not something as big as a bottle, nevertheless something in person and right in front of my eyes.

"do you know those girls?" i asked daniel and sean, and they looked back towards the rated-m-for-mature girls. i recognized one of them as lyla, now that i was focusing on them more, but i couldn't recognize the other.

"oh, that's jenn murphy, lyla's partner." sean answered. daniel nodded.

"lyla was the one who stepped up and took jenn away from sean way back when, lyla didn't even come out until sean came back. i don't think she was sure about her sexuality until then." he added.

"your mouth really doesn't have a filter, does it? but yeah, daniel's right. i used to like jenn, before shit happened. then when i got in touch with lyla again, i found out that she was dating jenn and that they discovered their true sexualities because of each other. very cute." sean spoke this time. i nodded, then looked back at jenn with lyla.

since i only knew lyla from a conversation with sean and then that small dialogue with her a few minutes ago, i never expected her to be something other than heterosexual. sure, i knew sexuality wasn't decipherable from the eye, but the vibe lyla gave me was that she was straight and she liked guys. but then again, now that i knew she had a partner, and jenn was a female, i found a little comfort knowing that sean wasn't on her list of guys that she may have liked in the past and maybe the present.

"have you met everyone yet? like, everyone from home, everyone from school?" daniel asked. i shook my head. according to sean, there were eight people i needed to meet at this party. so far i've only met half.

"she still hasn't met max, nathan, kate and warren yet. but i'm sure we'll find them around soon." sean cut in.

"what do you think about chloe, if you've met her? she's my favorite. whenever i look at her i feel like i could do anything, like, i don't know--get a tattoo without any regrets or something." daniel laughed, and sean shook his head at him. i smiled at the two, happy to see them happy.

"you'll probably find max either with vic or looking for vic...or maybe she'd be in the bathroom. i swear, the only time max goes away from vic on purpose is to use the bathroom. every time i see max, she's glued to vic's side with a huge smile on her face. it's sickeningly adorable." sean added. "you'll probably find nathan with other vortex club guys..."

"do you mind if i take ella away for a moment? you should catch up with your other friends too." daniel said, his eyes reflecting something different...other than happiness. sean looked between me and him, then nodded slowly.

"only if you promise me something."

" _what_?" daniel whined, and i could tell by sean's facial expression that whining was a common thing to hear from daniel.

"promise you won't try carrying her with your powers like you did to me--i still haven't forgiven you for that bump on my head, y'know." that got a laugh from me.

"okay, okay, okay. i'm not a little kid anymore."

"but i'm _still_ you're older, protective brother." sean winked at him before pushing his head playfully with his palm. i stepped close to sean and pressed my lips to his for a few seconds before breaking away. sean waved at me as daniel hooked his arm through mine and started to lead me off somewhere.

many people we passed were either talking, laughing, or dancing with each other. daniel seemed oblivious, though, seeing how he pushed through them without saying hi or giving them acknowledgment. i let him lead me while i looked all around me, seeing the people i've met earlier that night at different parts of the room.

chloe and rachel were leaning against a wall, each holding a beer bottle to their lips. judging by their playful expressions, they were playing a drinking game of some sort, but still i saw them occasionally give each other a kiss. rachel was more at ease, while chloe wanted to do anything she put her mind to. they looked different, but they pieced together as if they found a missing piece of a puzzle that they'd wanted to complete for a long, _long_ time.

victoria--i mean, _vic_ \--seemed like an extremely natural socialite. i spotted her sitting at a small circular table with a few other people, and i saw her holding hands with another girl with a shoulder-length brown haircut. maybe that was max, i don't know. but i could tell that vic and the girl were definitely having the time of their life. vic was talking nonstop, her lips moving and saying indecipherable words from where i was seeing her. the other girl continued to watch her, a permanent smile on her face.

lyla and jenn were still doing their thing. they were still on the dance floor, right where i first saw them--lyla had her hands on jenn's waist as jenn twerked against her partner. now i could see that they were the party animals of the group, most likely the people who could hype up a crowd in any situation. lyla's eyes were closed tightly, happiness radiating off her face as if she didn't know any other emotion. jenn was smiling and singing along to the lyrics, and even though i couldn't hear her, i knew that she was really into the music.

when daniel finally stopped leading me wherever, his feet planting onto the ground and causing me to nearly bump into him, he turned to me and 'shh'ed. i raised my eyebrows. _we were in a huge, loud party, and he's telling me to 'shh'?_

"daniel, why?" i asked, leaning close to him so i wouldn't have to compete against the loud music. daniel sighed and then gestured to a girl i couldn't recognize who was sitting a few feet away from us. she was sitting at one of the tables, like vic and probably-max, but the difference was that she was sitting alone. i looked at the girl, seeing how she was on her phone and pretty much spacing out, and then i looked at daniel.

he wasn't smiling, but his eyes were. he wasn't speaking, but his eyes told me that he would do anything just to have an excuse to talk to her. it was funny--i didn't _officiallly_ meet daniel before today and i didn't even know him personally, but i just _knew_.

"why'd you need to bring _me_ here, though?" i laughed, placing my arm around daniel's shoulders and leaning my head on his shoulder. that's when daniel smiled.

"i knew this obviously wasn't going to be your focus tonight, but the first time sean ever told me about you...he talked to me as if he knew that a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship was going to develop into something else. just to put it bluntly." daniel explained. i raised my eyebrows, then nodded. 

_now that i think about it...he's right._

_some things you don't need to say, in order for the other person to understand._

_and i'm glad that sean felt the same way._

"so the reason why i took you away from sean is because i wanted two things: verification, and..." his voice trailed off, and after a few seconds of watching his face and wondering what he was going to say next, he gave me an answer.

"if you're going to be my older-sister-in-law one day, i wanted to see how you'd help me in a situation like this." i blushed when he said the term. daniel gave me a smile, then gestured between him and the girl sitting a little far away from us again.

"her name is kristine, she's nathan's younger sister, she's _amazing_ , i can talk _about_ her for hours, but the problem is, i can't talk _to_ her." he explained.

"wait, so you're telling me--" i began, putting a hand on my hip.

"what?" he gave me an awkward laugh.

"you're telling me...wait, scratch that. okay. well, from what i've heard about you from sean, you speak before you think. according to him you've gotten both of you into big trouble before. _also_ , he always tells me that even though you _are_ maturing, you still have that _enano_ side." i laughed, seeing him scrunch up his face when i called him the nickname.

"okay, please, ella...i already have enough to be annoyed about when sean calls me that. please don't make me start disliking you as much as i dislike my brother." daniel laughed a little.

"alright, daniel. but you get what i'm saying, right?"

"yeah, yeaaahhh."

"so then why don't you just go up to her?"

i turned him and placed both hands on his shoulders, staring at him hard. daniel sighed again. probably for the third time during our conversation.

"maybe...she's intimidating?" he started. i nodded, then shrugged.

"okay, you're getting somewhere. elaborate on that a bit more for me."

"maybe...she's intimidating because, um, her height?"

i glanced at kristine, making an estimate on her height when she's standing up, then i looked back into daniel's eyes.

"i think you're definitely good on the height, daniel. dig deeper. anything else that seems intimidating?" i thought for a moment, then after i looked around the room, something came to mind. "maybe it's not her height that's intimidating to you...maybe it's the age gap."

"what do you mean?"

"daniel..." i'm the one who sighed this time. this was the voice that probably stayed with him throughout his younger years. it didn't sound as cheerful and strong as earlier, by the drinks table.

"you know what i mean. sure, it's not something that you'd want to acknowledge, but, you know...it's still _there_ for you to think about. believe me, i know how you feel, being 16 while someone you possibly like is about, i don't know, three years older than you? i'm guessing."

"actually...she's six years older."

"nevertheless, you _do_ know what i mean." at this point i didn't really know what i was saying, my mind just kept on controlling my voice, word for word. _was i doing this right?_

"so if you believe she's your type, and if you really want to talk to her, it doesn't hurt to try. it'll hurt to get rejected, and even though that was probably something bad to say, seeing how i'm supposed to be hyping you up, it's just something to make clear. let the main takeaway be--if it happens, it happens. just believe in yourself, and if something goes wrong, i'll be here."

i ended my spiel by taking out my phone and giving it to him to put his number in. i watched daniel's face, wondering if he took my mini speech positively or negatively...and i was relieved to see him look back at me with a soft smile. after he gave me back my phone, he reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck and held me for a moment. my heart swelled.

"thank you for that," daniel said, his voice clear in my right ear. i nodded, wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him back tightly.

"no problem at all."

i let him hug me for a few more seconds and then stepped away, gesturing back to kristine.

"so now...it's time for you to shine." i smiled, and daniel nodded in reply. he smoothed his hair, checked his breath, smoothed his shirt, consoling _himself_ now. in addition to that, i didn't let him stand and stare at kristine for more than minute before i grabbed his shoulders and pushed him towards her. i watched as he stepped slowly through the crowd to her table, and once he was standing next to her, i clasped my hands together and prayed.

all of a sudden, i felt a hand on my shoulder. i whirled around.

"i'm so sorry if i startled you...by the way, ella is such a beautiful name." the girl in front of me said. she had the kindest face in the room, hands down. her eyes seemed tired, but the dark blue and gray hues shone bright compared to the multicolored lights of the party. her hair was done up in a loose, blonde bun, and her bangs fell just above her eyebrows with a few loose strands framing her face. her lips were also in a perfect smile, but her expression was tinged with...sadness? for whatever reason.

"thank you...what's yours?" i replied, glancing off to the side for a second and seeing daniel and kristine interact, then looking back into the girl's eyes.

"my name's kate, i'm one of sean's friends."

"oh! kate!" i exclaimed, reaching forward and hugging her. the way she hugged me back was as if she's never hugged someone before, and it surprised me. i was all wrapped up in her gentle arms, that's all i could think of. i'm guessing she was the friend that everyone talked to when they needed one...i felt so calm.

"it is _so_ nice to meet you. it's nice to see new faces every once in a while. especially when they're pretty." kate said, blushing. i gave her a smile.

"aw, oh my gosh kate, you're so kind." i replied, shifting my weight from my left foot to my right. i didn't really know what to say.

"i saw you standing with daniel and i wanted to say hi. from what sean told me, i learned that you're a really charming person." kate added. i nodded, laughing awkwardly. compliments were rare, but the feelings were strong. "where did daniel go?"

"oh, he's over there, talking with...nathan's sister."

"ah." kate looked in the direction i was looking, and i was shocked to see daniel sit down next to kristine with the biggest smile i've seen him have since i met him. "it seems like he found himself someone to talk to in here?"

"yeah, i talked to him before you came and he had asked me to gear him up for that."

"aw, is that true? that's so cute of him. sean had always talked to me about how immature daniel could be...it's nice to see him maturing."

"yeah, you're definitely right. i've only known him for so little of a time, and i'm already seeing how he is on the inside and outside," i breathed, crossing my arms and watching the sixteen-year-old work his magic.

"what is he doing?" sean's voice brought me out of my thoughts. i turned around and saw him standing behind kate, a confused smile on his face. i immediately walked over to him and took his hand, easily moving it so his arm would be across my shoulders and his hand on my opposite side.

"well, ella here was acting as a wingman," kate reasoned, turning to sean and giving him a fist bump as a greeting.

"i'm glad he's talking to kristine, he keeps talking to me about her. and now..." he looked into my eyes, and his smile grew bigger. "i could steal you back from him." sean moved his arm down to my waist, waved goodbye to kate, and then made me walk with him back into the crowd of dancing people before i could see daniel once more. i couldn't help but laugh as sean took me to the literal middle of the room, on the dance floor, and he started dancing.

"how dare you, sean diaz," i yelled over the music, my face reflecting sean's huge smile.

"how dare i what?" he said while doing the running man. i tried not to cringe as i answered.

"how dare you steal me away while i was talking to kate," i laughed, grabbing his hands and then stepping side to side. sean laughed with me, then pulled my arms so that they'd be around his neck. he placed his hands on my waist, and i was glad to feel his touch again.

"what do you think of my friends so far? i mean i don't think you've met everyone in this room, but i really hope that the people you've met left a good impression on you." sean said, hooking his fingers into my belt loops and keeping them there. i shrugged, looking around for one of them so i could tell sean about what i thought. the first person i saw was vic and max, who was also dancing together a little ways away.

"from what you told me, well...it seems as if max and vic are two different people when they're together." i answered, and sean nodded.

"i remember meeting vic before she met max. she usually invested all her time in schoolwork and the vortex club, and i remember she told me that finding the right person was put on the back burner."

"until she met max?"

"right. until she met max."

"how'd they meet?"

"actually, it's the cutest thing." sean paused for a moment to grab my hand and then spin me around. i laughed as he returned us to our position, his hands on my waist.

"vic was actually a bitch."

i laughed louder than i expected.

"she was?"

"yeah, and a popular one. a lot of girls wanted to be her, a lot of girls wanted to kill her--it was the weirdest thing. i was one of the few people who were actually close to her. and then when max came along to blackwell, vic naturally moved all her focus to her because she was a new face. but then, as vic told me, a humorous scenario that involved white paint and vic's black collared shirt resulted in max earning vic's respect and...a little something else."

although i didn't fully understand what happened, the outcome was clear--vic saw something else in max and turned into a whole other person, at least, towards her.

"and then now here they are, together," sean looked over at them, and i could see max and vic's faces as they made eye contact with each other. they were leaning in slowly, and when they kissed, max held vic's face in her hands. vic's arms wrapped around max's waist and they pressed up against each other as if there was still space between them.

sean got my attention back by hooking his right arm around my waist and pulling me in, my chest pressed against his like vic and max. his perfect brown eyes looked deeply into mine, and i absentmindedly drew my index finger along his jawline. i glanced at his lips, frozen in a soft smile, and then back at his eyes. a few strands of brown hair were almost touching his eyelashes, having been thrown around because of him dancing.

when i glanced at his lips, i was reminded of the first night we had together, when he took me out to a popular tourist spot. it was a place lined with trees, everywhere we looked. but the trademark factor of the spot was the lighthouse. it was tall, mysterious, mesmerizing, beautiful...it complimented the spot as if the place would be nothing without it.

sean had brought me over to a bench and sat down with me, taking out a picnic basket and then removing its contents. 'it's such a nice evening', he'd told me. i nodded, and we took the time to watch the sun set, hand in hand while our free hands were holding our food. and then he surprised me, putting down his sandwich on the basket and then standing up. he walked to the wooden railing on the edge of the cliff, placed both hands on its surface, tilted his head back...and howled.

at first i thought of him as crazy. other people were there, and why would you just howl for no reason? but shortly after, he explained why. apparently it's an inside joke between him and daniel, who played around sometimes and pretended they were wolves. but the howl wasn't just for fun, or no reason. sean told me that the howl was his way of saying 'fuck you' to the rest of the world...like he didn't care about anything else, he wasn't afraid, and that him and his brother would always be locked together. he didn't care if anyone heard him howl, or if he made anyone irritated by how loud he was.

whenever he howled, with his lips forming an 'o', he felt...free.

"why are you looking at me like that?" sean laughed. i blinked several times, my smile returning on my face.

"what do you mean?"

"you were looking at me as if...as if you could see a whole new world in my eyes, or something like that." sean said, brushing my hair behind my ear. i held his right hand in my left, placing it on my cheek. i closed my eyes and swayed back and forth against him, and then i felt him kiss me on the cheek. when i opened my eyes, sean held me closer than he ever had before. there was no space left between us.

"and i can." i whispered into his ear.

with one last look at each other, we kissed. my nerves were all over the place. i wanted to do anything and everything, all at once. i tilted my head so i could kiss him more deeply, and i held his shoulders with my hands. my senses were all hyperactive, i could hear everything, feel everything, i could taste the alcohol on his lips. i felt his tongue touch my bottom lip, asking, and getting what he wanted.

i parted my lips and let him make the kiss even deeper. our tongues explored each other's mouths, and i felt sean move his hands down to my ass. in response, i bit his lip, and then i almost didn't hear him groan right after. that made me wrap my arms around his neck, moving my fingers through his hair, pulling lightly.

" _jump_ ," sean whispered against my lips, and i obeyed. by now i didn't even care if someone looked our way. all i wanted was him. my legs naturally wrapped around his waist, and i continued to kiss him until we both needed air. i knew what he liked, he knew what i liked...

"put your fingers through my hair again." i heard him whisper, and i smiled against his lips. i felt every strand of hair through my fingers, and i closed my fist, with the lightest pull. sean inhaled sharply, and my heart jumped. i felt sean's hold on me grow a bit weaker, and all of a sudden i knew that i wanted to make him feel even weaker, doing whatever i had to.

i held sean's chin in one hand, turning his head to the side. i pressed my lips on his cheek, then kissed a line down to his neck. his hold on me faltered again, and then i felt him put me down. his hands moved down to my ass again, and when i kissed his neck and left a mark, he tucked his hands into my jean pockets and squeezed. i lifted one leg around his waist again and kissed him more deeply, biting, pulling, sucking on all the sensitive spots that i knew existed.

with every positive response from sean, i continued doing my work in giving him all i've got. with every sound he gave me, he drove me wild. i didn't care about meeting the rest of his friends anymore. i needed to get him home.

"sean," i whispered in his ear, and he made eye contact with me. his eyes didn't sparkle with happiness alone. something else was there now...desire. longing.

"yeah?" his raspy voice made my breathing more harsh.

"you wanna get out of here?"

"i was waiting for you to say that."

"and i was waiting for _you_ to carry me the fuck outta here." i smiled.

sean nodded, then with his hand pulling me after him, he grabbed our jackets from the front and then started walking out the door. i remember laughing as a guy was about to say hi to sean, but then sean immediately yelled 'no, nathan, can't talk now--we gotta go'.

as soon as sean got out into the hallway with me close behind, he spun me around to face him and then he pressed me against the wall.

"i can't even wait to get another kiss from you, what are you doing to me," sean laughed, kissing me once he finished his sentence. i didn't know what to do, my mind was racing. my arms were thrown around his neck, he picked me up again, put my legs around his waist, and then he started running. all i heard was laughter, not knowing who it was from.

i closed my eyes and felt him kiss me all over my face as he ran, and once i heard a door open, i got down and started tugging on his shirt. we were _finally_ in his room. we were finally alone.

that's when i heard my breathing--it was so ragged. and sean was questioning what _i_ was doing to him? he's basically making me break down, every fiber of my being was controlled by him. i would do anything for him, i would make him feel as good as possible without caring about myself, if it meant that i would get to watch him react to my every move, or if he would give me all the best sounds in the world.

i pressed my chest against his, sliding my hands under his shirt and moving my hands to his back, feeling hungry for his touch. he backed me up against a wall, sliding his arms under mine and wrapping them around me. i relaxed in his arms, then grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. he let go of me for a moment and put his arms up, and as soon as i got his shirt off and threw it at an unknown location, i started kissing his neck again and then down to his collarbone.

a few minutes later, i realized that my shirt had gone off without knowing how it actually did. sean's hands were all over my body as we continued to kiss, with only occasional breaks when we had to breathe. i felt his fingers frantically find my bra clasp, and then i felt him undo it without hesitation. his fingers moved to my shoulders, lifting off my bra straps and then letting my bra fall onto the floor.

he immediately started kissing my collarbone, and my senses tingled when he let several marks anywhere he wanted. i cradled his head in my arms, biting my bottom lip and closing my eyes tightly. i felt his tongue also explore wherever he wanted, and when he started leaving lines of love bites from my neck to my shoulders, i heard myself moan a few times.

sean's hands feverishly unbuttoned his jeans and took them off, then i did the same before sean pushed me against the wall again. i felt his growing hard-on through the fabric of my underwear, and i nearly moaned again when he pushed up against my crotch--and right where i needed him. then he spoke.

"it's a shame that there's a bed in here," he whispered, his voice deep. i cocked my head, confused and a little amused.

"what makes you say that?"

"it's a shame there's a bed in here because there's no use for it right now...i could just fuck you against this wall." sean smirked, and at that point i jumped on him. he laughed as he regained his balance, still putting all his weight forward so my back was against the wall. i became conscious of how my legs were spread apart more, and his dick was literally against... _that_ spot.

"wait-" i said, getting off him for a moment. already i felt the difference of being away from him. so i pulled off my underwear as fast as possible. ;) i made eye contact with him after, and he was staring at me with such a needy look in his eye, i almost shivered.

"okay, _now_ you can pick me up." i laughed, jumping on him again and feeling his arms immediately wrap around me. absentmindedly i started grinding against him, right at his crotch, and then i started hearing his sharp inhales every time i moved upwards. they were enough to make me--

" _fuck_ , keep doing that," sean cursed under his breath, biting his bottom lip. i kissed him once more, our tongues colliding and, just, exploring each other's mouths again. and yeah. i kept doing that. _my boyfriend is so hot._

"you're so fucking hard, babe," i smiled, watching his facial expression as i continued. he groaned--my words may have had some effect on him in addition to my movements.

he let me lean against the wall while still keeping my legs around his waist as he finally pulled down his boxers, and then it was just us.

skin to skin.

nothing in between.

"d'you have one?" i whispered, kissing him on the cheek repeatedly and speaking in between kisses. sean nodded. while he held me with one arm, he walked over to his desk, switched on the small lamp, and pulled open a drawer that revealed a box of trojans' pleasure pack.

"wow--" i tried not to laugh.

"yeah, um...right after we had sex the first time, i restocked and got my priorities straight." sean chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed while i sat in his lap. he reached forward and took out a condom from the box, labeled 'her pleasure™ sensations lubricated'. i let a small laugh out.

"and you know...i'm a smart guy, i'm prepared for anything. that's why i got the one with four kinds." he smiled at me, kissing me on the cheek. i laughed for real this time, throwing my head back and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"this one's for right now." he waved it in the air, making it clear i was his priority, especially tonight. i wanted to cry.

"i love you, sean," i whispered, brushing my fingers through his hair. he smiled softly at me, pressing his lips to mine before speaking.

"i love you even more."

soundlessly, while we kissed, i heard him tear open the condom slowly and carefully, then he slid it on.

"are you good?" sean asked slowly, and i could tell he was so cautious towards me even though...even after all we've been through. and i felt grateful.

i felt so lucky to have sean as my boyfriend--he cared about my well-being, he cared about my feelings, he cared about how i felt. he cared about _me_.

"yes, i'll be okay," i whispered back, touching my forehead to his and kissing him on the tip of his nose. the kiss was short, but...it was enough.

sean stood up and french-kissed me again, and then i felt him walk across the room back to the wall.

slowly but gently, he lifted me up, and then he positioned himself at my entrance. i closed my eyes. slowly easing myself onto him was the challenge. i'm quite petite.

first, there's definitely pain. _definitely_. but seeing his nervous, gentle, caring face made up for it.

then, when he slowly moved out a bit, the pleasure began.

amazing, sweet pleasure.

i heard a moan, not realizing it was from me until a few seconds late. sean exhaled, smiling at me.

"you're so fucking tight," he breathed. i was glad to see that i made him feel good. and that made up for it, too.

he started moving, taking it slow. as the minutes passed, while we kissed...he sped up.

the room was filled with moans, the sound of kissing, sex sounds...all combined into one collective state of perfection.

it even got better for me as i watched sean get even closer to his high, and as i kissed his neck and left love bites, he definitely reached the level of ecstasy that i wanted him to. he closed his eyes, thrusting into me harder and faster as time passed. i knew i left marks on his back, scratched red lines that i'll have to apologize for in the morning.

and when i reached my high, that perfect level of pleasure and that perfect moment, i accidentally pulled his hair harder than i expected. sean let out a groan that definitely made me come. soon after, i felt him grow tense, and then he let out another groan as he released. he nearly let go of me, and i had to get off before i fell onto the ground.

we were both weak, but we luckily had the energy to go over to the bed and fall down on top of the sheets. i immediately curled up next to him, breathless, without anymore energy left in me. i kissed his cheek, his closed eyes, his nose, his chin, his neck, his shoulder.

"i love you," i whispered again, and he turned to me.

"and i you."

his arms wrapped around me, and i felt his warmth encase my bare skin.

the feeling of him right next to me, skin to skin...only us...

it's always amazing.

the first time, the second time--they both felt the same. exhilarating, breathless, romantic, i don't know how else i could describe it. the whole thing was just...

perfect.

is there another synonym for that?

without fault. flawless. exemplary. quintessential?

i wish i could just combine all those words into one. 'perfithaulawlemplaressential'. maybe that would describe this well enough.

"i had a great time tonight," i said, touching my forehead to sean's. he smiled.

"that's good."

"your friends will eventually become ours. they're so entertaining and fun to be with."

"that's good, too."

"and you definitely know what i like." i chuckled, glancing down and then back up to make eye contact with him. he laughed.

"all in order for us to get closer, babe. you know i've always imagined us being together, physically, not just technically."

"i know. me too. i love how much i've learned about you, just from hanging out with your friends for a few minutes."

"i'm glad too. the people you talked to will probably bug me about you tomorrow in class." sean laughed.

"then that's definitely a good thing--that makes it clear--i'm yours."

in the soft light from the small lampshade on his desk, our lips met in yet another kiss.

that made me wonder...how many times _have_ we kissed, since we've met in person?

probably almost a thousand times.

but this one held more feelings and experiences than the others we've shared.

and it _felt_ as if a whole new door opened up for us.

all the choices we've made up until this point, all the decisions and risks and experiences we've gone through...

led us to this moment.

and if you ask me, i think our future will be _great_.


End file.
